SuperKick Leftovers: Sweat, Baiden Excited

After a week of training on the indoor turf fields at SuperKick in Lewis Center, Ohio, the Crew
hopped on a plane yesterday and embarked for warmer weather. Starting today, the Crew will begin
its third preseason stint as it takes part in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic. The team’s first game
will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. against Toronto FC, and the Crew will play four games at the Wide World
of Sports complex before returning to Columbus on March 2.

I’ll join the team in Florida on Tuesday night, but before we look ahead let’s clean out the
notebook from the past five days at SuperKick starting with this morning’s blog post.

With his first professional contract signed, Sweat said he will be getting a car.

“I have to get a car,” he said. “I don’t have a car with me. I’m probably going to get a car and
do the normal apartment situation.”

For now, Sweat said he is living in a hotel alongside Baiden and unsigned trialists Adam Bedell
and Patrick Slogic. Of the four, only Bedell has a car.

Sweat has crossed paths with Baiden, Bedell and Slogic before putting on a Crew uniform.

“I played against (Bedell) at USF,” he said. “We didn’t know each other on a friendly basis
because we were opponents but I recognized him because he’s six foot eight, obviously. Patrick
Slogic was my roommate at Reading United when I played with them last summer. Fifi, I knew him down
at the combine.”

Berhalter has said he wants his outside backs to be able to push into the attack, which was
music to the left-footed Sweat’s ears.

“It’s exactly the system I want to be in, where I’m able to be up the field but not have to
worry about recovering back 80 yards if we lose the ball,” he said. “A central midfielder can drop
in, essentially. It’s a perfect system for me and any player who likes to attack out of the
back."

Baiden, who tweeted a photo of himself signing his contract two days before the news was
officially announced, said he knew the challenge ahead when he was drafted by the club.

“I knew it was going to be competitive, going to be tough,” he said. “I checked the roster and
they already had 29 people signed and five people coming in. I knew it was going to be very
challenging, but it’s something I’ve looked for my whole life and I came out and gave everything I
got.”

He has been embraced by fellow Ghanaian Dominic Oduro since being drafted by the Crew.

“I watch the MLS games and I watch the Crew a lot so I became familiar with who he is,” Baiden
said. “When I got drafted, he called me out of the blue and said, ‘I’m so happy that you’re coming
here.’ We clicked. It’s been fun.”

In addition, Baiden said Oduro gave him a Papa John’s rewards card. Oduro is a spokesperson for
the pizza chain.

“They’ve been good,” Berhalter said of Sweat and Baiden. “Fifi has been a warrior out there in
training, working really hard. I thought he did well against Malmo. He’s been the guy that we
thought he was. Ben, we see a lot of potential in him. He’s going to be a good player.”

And as for whether either player can help the team this season, Berhalter said, “I wouldn’t be
surprised if they both got on the field this year. I would hope so, right?”